Tudor Eel Fishing

Yes, I've been watching the telly again. I blame these early nights. Tudor Monastery Farm is a great prog, and not just because most of it is filmed at my favourite local museum, the Weald and Downland just up the road.

"Eels Ahoy! Thar she blows!"

This week, the rumbunctious Ruth Goodman went fishing for eels with a basket maker called Simon Cooper (it is about 7 minutes in). They made traditional eel traps out of withies, willow wands that grow conveniently at the water's edge, and set forth in a rather wonderful punt, a massive flat-bottomed boat with lots of room in the middle for the eel traps.
The oars are rowed against single thole pins, held in place with a strop or grommet (known as an estrop in Catalan or a humliband in Scotland).
It looks fun - look out for the moment an eel climbs out of the keeper basket and freaks Ruth out for being 'far too snakey'.

At this point the look of the boat began to ring bells...I had seen it somewhere before...and indeed it is Mike 'Kipperman' Smylie's Severn punt, seen here at Beale Park in 2005.
The river looks fabulous too - anyone know which river it is? The upper reaches of the Severn, maybe?

UPDATE
John Lockwood has kindly informed me that Simon Cooper is much more than a 'basket maker', as described in the programme. He is a farmer, fisherman, boatbuilder and conservationist as well. The Severn punt is part of a collection of traditional fishing boats - see the Salmon Boats site for details. And take a look at how flax can be used for skin-on-frame boats such as curraghs here.
On looking at the Beale Park picture again, is that Simon standing next to it?